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Mich. townships sued over wind power

A Chicago company planning to build 39 wind towers in rural central Michigan has sued three communities it said want to block the $120 million renewable energy project.

AP Wire

Clinton County

Apr 10, 2013

Forest Hill Energy-Fowler Farms LLC sued Dallas, Essex and Bengal townships on Monday in Clinton County Circuit Court in St. Johns. The lawsuit alleges that the Clinton County townships collaborated to adopt rules effectively blocking the project.

A pre-existing county ordinance already had "many exacting requirements," the lawsuit says. They include rules that permit towers no more than 450 feet tall, allow up to 45 decibels of noise as measured from an off-site home and require that towers be at least 1,600 feet or four times the tower's height from any home.

The Bengal Township ordinance went further and rendered the project unviable, the lawsuit says. That ordinance caps the height at 400 feet, noise at 40 decibels at the nearest property line and a setback of 1,600 feet or four times the tower's height from any property line.

William Fahey, an attorney for Dallas and Essex townships, said the Michigan Legislature has granted townships broad powers to regulate conduct for the public health, safety and general welfare. He said Clinton County's zoning ordinance permits townships to exercise their zoning authority over wind towers.

The Clinton County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 on Jan. 29 to grant a special land-use permit to Forest Hill Energy for the project, which has been a matter of public debate since 2008.

I don't blame the people in the St. Johns area for not wanting those huge wind turbines in their backyards. If you drive along I65 in Indiana, you will see a "wind farm" it looks awful not to mention the noise.

This is 21 minutes of heart breaking testimony by Cary Shineldecker of what his family has had to contend with as 'Not Applicable' during construction and testing of the Mason County wind farm as well as really good information about wind power that is not typically known. I personally met Cary at the Grand Rapids Michigan Public Service Commission Energy Forum where he spoke -about a month ago. Cary is 'good people'.

Cary and 16 other families within the Mason County Wind Farm just filed suit against Consumers Energy.